Juliet, Naked

Enjoyable adult romcom adapted from a Nick Hornby novel, which means I'm predisposed to like it Ethan Hawke is excellent as the reclusive rock star, Rose Byrne is underwritten but still does her best; Chris O'Dowd doesn't have the chance to really establish his character. But it's sensitive, funny and doesn't outstay its welcome.

This film is so simple and intelligent. Ethan Hawke is brilliant both as an actor and a real musician. He performs both roles beautifully. Rose Byrne is never less than perfect. This film has so much heart in a way that is understated and not pretentious in any way. Beautiful scenery, plus a great soundtrack that includes Ethan Hawke doing a fantastic cover of The Kinks Waterloo Sunset along with some great tunes for the film. Interesting characters and story. The type of film I will watch more than once. I really enjoyed it.

This was a delightful movie- I really enjoyed it so much! Lately I've just been watching trailers and not committing to a full movie (horrible I know) - so glad I decided to press play. I laughed quite a bit and just overall found it really enjoyable. I left wanting to know more about all the characters even the secondary ones. I wish this had been a Series where we could really dig into all the different relationships especially between Tucker and his children. It's an easy and enjoyable romantic comedy- something I has had been hard to find lately. It's not often a movie leaves me wanting more of the story.

Are you or have you ever been an obsessive music fan? Have you ever dived down deep into an ocean of a particular artist's musical history and eagerly wetted your ears with every last song, half-song, quarter song and brief snippet of high or sometimes even very low, low quality, barely intelligible audio both officially and unofficially available? Have you ever tracked down, with a bloodhound's determination, every book about that artist and every book in which that artist is even only briefly mentioned on page two-hundred and something and then only for a sentence or two that does nothing other than merely confirm to you something you had already had confirmed to you a hundred times before? Have you ever compulsively visited countless websites committed to that same artist's work where other, even more intensely obsessive fans than you have documented and analyzed every last lyric, note, hiccup or cough crafted ever-so-carefully by that same artist, to such an extent that you feel so close to that artist that they are practically a part of you? Well, then, do I have the film for you.

"Juliet, Naked" is a film about a very unique love triangle. The three points of that triangle are: Duncan (Chris O'Dowd), an obsessive fan of an obscure and no longer active singer-songwriter named, Tucker Crowe; Annie (Rose Byrne), Duncan's long suffering girlfriend who feels like she's in competition with Crowe for her boyfriend's attention and is losing; and the object of obsession himself, Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke), an easygoing dude, who long ago tossed away his music career, and who now lives in his ex-wife's garage trying to resemble a reasonable facsimile of a father for their son, Jackson (Azhy Robertson).

Based on a novel by Nick Hornby, this, mostly, light and funny, pleasant breeze of a film is a delight from start to finish.

What's mostly on the mind of the writer is the way in which these characters have chosen to lead their lives. Rose has been, and continues to be, way too cautious and, as a result, is suffering from emotional and psychological paralysis. Tucker has been way too reckless and, as a result, is the eye of a rapidly revolving hurricane of relationships that will soon swirl and crash around him with hilarious results. And in the middle, is Duncan who spends way too much of his time focusing on the emotional content of Crowe's songs and very little time focusing on the emotional content contained in the heart of his neglected girlfriend, Annie.

Rose Byrne, as Annie, is plain stuck. She's in a relationship with two men - one who is physically present, but not emotionally, and another who is emotionally present but not physically. Though she is smart and charming and attractive, she is sort of like an airplane waiting at the edge of a runway for permission to take off. Permission that never seems to come and permission she probably doesn't need after all.

Convincing as a woman who fulfills all of the requirements that her outer life demands without actually fulfilling any of the requirements that her inner life does, Byrne is all apologies and accomodations. She is a Rube Goldberg contraption made flesh - balls rolling, dominoes falling, ramps see sawing one way, then another, but, without any greater purpose other than to keep itself going, one day after another, for enjoyment of others.

As the obsessive fan, who runs a comprehensive website about everything and anything Crowe, frequently chats with other Crowe obsessives on-line and has a well maintained and more than slightly creepy shrine to the man in the basement of his and Annie's home, O'Dowd is just goofy enough to trigger the necessary laughs without being so goofy that he becomes a one note joke.

The film pays real careful attention to Duncan's emotional connection to Crowe and his songs. Sure, the film, and I assume the book, plays his obsessing for laughs, but, it also respects it, too. That is no more clear then in a pivotal scene, somewhere in the middle moving towards the end of the film, where Duncan and Crowe come face to face, sharing a dinner table with neglected girlfriend and no longer neglected son. Obsessive fan collides with the object of his obsession and the results, though predictably awkward, cringe worthy and painfully funny, also reveal each character's sensitive sore spots. The scene sticks its' landing and then some. It's wonderfully played out.

Overall, O'Dowd manages to create a memorable human being in Duncan who is, ultimately, deeply flawed, but, nonetheless, understandable and sympathetic. He sees so much in others who are far away and so little in those who are close by. He is so intensely focused on his obsession for the words and music of Tucker Crowe that he has no more energy left for his afterthought of a girlfriend. If his life could be summed up in an album's worth of tracks, the first twelve songs would be about Crowe and a thirteenth, hidden track, would be about Annie.

And Hawke? He plays casual, broken and messed up with an ease that is always charming and affecting. He does a fine job of slipping into the skin of a man who has just recently caught up to his responsibilities and is making a genuine, though clumsy, attempt to unscrew up as much of his screwed up life as he can. He's like someone walking through the rubble of a neighbourhood recently devastated by an 9.0 earthquake with all the concern of a man browsing for swim trunks at a local department store.

The direction is unobtrusive and workmanlike. The pace is steady and never lags.

A real surprise. Catch it if you can.

Been dying to see this since I first saw the trailer for a few reasons. One, it looked like an entertaining romantic comedy that would be worthwhile. Two, the creation of a fake musician who resurfaces years later in front of a superfan? That's creative. Three, Rose Byrne is a treasure and I'll watch her in anything. After watching, the film met the expectations it had set up and I am satisfied with the film. Ethan Hawke makes a good Tucker Crowe, yo.

The film is about the relationship of a couple whose differences cause arguments. The girlfriend has to put up with her snobbish husbands crazy obsession with a musician who released an album and disappeared decades ago. One day, while communicating on a message board, Rose Byrne's character starts actually chatting with this musician and he soon resurfaces which changes the lives of all that are involved.

I thought the film was sweet and well acted on all fronts. Dowd was impressive as a superfan who is certainly grating. Hawke was completely believable as an aging and tortured musician trying to make things right. Byrne is good in everything she does, no difference here. The "fake 90s music" created to exemplify the career of Tucker Crowe is awesome because it seems authentic. The whole mystique and rumors around the Crowe's career is amazing.

At its core, its a story we have seen many times before. However, the film is told in the scope of something interest with the unbelievable probability of a rockstar coming into the life of a superfan after a bad review was written online. Its a relatable film that is just pleasing all throughout. Its not going to make waves but its a sweet and charming effort that is worth a watch.

7.5/10